Engine and the like and method of operation



Oct. 4, 1932. H. B. MOSES 1,880,209

ENGINE AND THE LIKE AND METHOD OF OPERATION Filed March 51.. 1928 A A 1JJ 51 i A E Int/876d)?! l atented Oct. 4, 1932 srss ATE ice HERBERTMOSES, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR TO IRMA H. MOSESENGINE AND THE LIKE AND METHOD OF OPERATION Application filed March 31,1928. Serial No. 266,279.

7 pression is desirable for efiecting economy of fuel per unit of powerproduced and per unit of distance travelled.

The ordinary high compression engine running on present day ordinary orso called straight gasoline has a tendency to knock, and the same istrue of lower compression engines when an attempt is made to runthemunder a heavy load. This tendency has been overcome to some extentby intermixing various materials in various proportions with thegasoline, and certain of these reduce the tendency to knock. Accordingto some theories, the knock is due to too speedy a propagation of theexplosion reaction which begins at the igniting means, for example thespark plug a electrodes, and such added materialsare considered to havea de-accelerating efiect on such propagation, whereby the explosion isless sudden and either produces no knock at all or reduces the knockconsiderably, depending of course on the conditions of operation,although knocks may result even when a blended gasoline is used. c

The great disadvantage of specially blended fuels is that they are notas available as the straight gasoline and are more expensive. Thepresent invention seeks to overcome these knocking conditions within theengine whereby either a knock-reducing or non-knock-reducing fuel may beused with a total or at least a substantial decrease of knock.

My invention comprises having an adsorbent in adsorbing relation withthe combustion chamber or chambers of an automobile or other internalcombustion engine.

The phenomenon of adsorption is discussed in The Recovery of VolatileSolvents, Robinson, 1922; Colloidal Chemistry, Alexander, SecondEdition, 1924; Applied Colloidal Chemistry, Bancroft, 1921; as well asin many other text books, literature articles, and patents; andaccording to the theories advanced it includes the condensation, or somekind of concentration, of the gas, vapor, liquid or other adsorbedmatter uponthe interior and exterior surfaces of the adsorbent or withinthe pores thereof. "Whatever the action is, the result is that theadsorbent takes up and retains more or less large quantities of theadsorbate, and retains it therein until subjected to certain conditionswhich again permit or cause liberation.

Adsorbents are known to have the capability of concentrating variousgases and Vapors within themselves and liberating these again, underproper conditions. The generally accepted laws of gas or vaporadsorption, and these may perhaps be applied to liquids as well, is thatthe amount of substance adsorbed, that is the adsorbate, generally increases. with lowering of temperature, and increases with increasingpressure of the substance being adsorbed in contact with the adsorbent,and even increases with the partial pressure of the component orcomponents of the gas or vapor mixture. Accordingly there may be a cycleof adsorption at a lower temperature and liberation at a higher temperature, or adsorption at a higher pressure and liberation at a lowerpressure, or there may be a combination of these factors. 7

Various adsorbents and the methods for makingthem have been described inpatents and in the literature, and it is believed that those-mostcommonly in use are the various activated carbons,and the porous silicasor silica gels made by special processes. These generally have a highadsorptive power which naturally makes them valuble for adsorptionpurposes and they may be used in the practice of my invention, althoughit is to be understood that other high power adsorbents may likewise beused, such for example as properly prepared ferric hydroxide, as well asother materials. The adsorbents used may be either organic or inorganic,the inorganic adsorbents having the great ad-' vantage ofincombustibility, while some of the various activated carbons now on themarket seem tohave greater afinity for the hydrocarbons. and especiallyin the presence of moisture. I

W'ithout limiting this application and the protection sought therein toany particular theory, seems to be to take up and remove from the theapparent effect of the adsorbent i trial.

combustion chamber a substantial proportion of the gas therein orcomponents thereof before explosion, and especially while undercompression, and then to release or liberate the adsorbed gas or gasesas the explosion reaction'decreases the partial pressure or proportionthereof in the combustion chamber, by chemically converting itintosomething else A ord ng t is th cry the adsorbent therefore actually hasthe ultimate effect of lowering the pressure with respect to knockingalthough the same amount of fuel is burned during the expansion orexplosion stroke of the piston, since the adsorbent, a l; though itcauses a decrease in pressure or partial pressure at the beginning ofthe explosion period, supplies additional fuel for explosion as theexplosion progresses. In other words the pressure may be decreased belowthe knocking point without decreasing the amount of fuel to be explodedwithin a given space.

be Obtained Whether. the. quantityof adsorbent used be. comparativelylarge. or. small, no special proportions are given. here-as theinvention is applicable. tomany types of internal combustion engineswith respect to each 01 which. a different quantity of adsorbent may berequired: to produce the best results.-

The adsorbent maybe appliedto the-cylinder in any desired manner, forexample it may be carried by thepiston or by the cylinder. Wall. orhead, the only. essential feature;

being. that. it be in. active adsorbing relation with the combustionorexplosion chamber. It may be. locatedon various parts of the pistonhead, orj of thecylinder itself, such location being immaterialwithrespect to the broad nature oftheinvention, and the method of supportingthe adsorbent islikewise immaterial with respect to the broad natureofhent nt on,

Referring to thedrawingFig. 1' is a. diagrammatic longitudinalsectionaliview showing the cylinder and piston within thesame and.illustrating the adsorbent.

Figs. 2, 3, and i are each a diagrammatic longitudinal sectional; view.showing. modified means for carrying the adsorbent-I Fig. 5;,is adiagrammatic longitudinal-sec tional view ofa pi'stonand,cylinderillustrat- Since the. kind .of result desired will ing howthe adsorbent carrier may be in the cylinder wall with provision tosecure a more easy access thereto.

Fig. 6 is a more or less diagrammatic plan view of a reticulated sheetfrom which the cover 5 may be cut.

Any engine having a cylinder 1 and a piston 2 may have my inventionapplied thereto, \Vhile this invention is intended primarily forinternal combustion engines it may also be applied to internal expansionengines here there is no internal combustion, as for example steam andcompressed airengines of all types even including the multiple expansiontype.

In the modification illustrated on Fig. 1, l designates the cylinderwall and there is a cavity 3 in the piston 2 in which the adsorbent isloacted, this cavity being of such a shape that a large surface area isexposed to the material in the explosion chamber. The adsorbent 4. inthe chamber 3v may be in block orgranular form and may be held in placevbya reticulated cover 5 or by other suitable means. A suitable ignitionmeans 6 of any desired type is provided in accordance with commonpractice, as are inlet and ex-. haust port-s7, 8, alternately opened andclosed at the proper points of the engine cycle by valves 9 and 10.Either of the valves shown on Fig. 1 may be the inlet valve and theother the. exhaust valve, but certain advan tages are to be gained byhaving the explosive vapors play during the-intake stroke as directly aspossible upon the adsorbent.

In themodififiation. illustrated in Fig. 2;, the adsorption chamber 3 isof a different shape and presents less surfaceto. the material in he cmb t o hambe This figure also illustrates a different location for the.adsorbent, it being understood; that there is no particular relationbetween the shape of the cavity for the adsorbent and ts cati Figs 3and; 4; each'illustrate two vaniables, that is they illustrate adifferent shape of chamber 3 aswell as a different position thereof onthe piston, it being understood again that theposition of the adsorbentis independent of itsshape, and that any desired shape may b te n anysirectp s ion n on y on the piston but: also on the cylinder.

Fig. 5 il1ustrates; a modification wherein! the adsorption chambenis inthe cylinder,

andspecifically-in the cylinder head. Here again v a reticulated; coveror other suitable meansv may beused; tohold the adsorbent 4: within thechamber 3, and a removable sealing plug l-l'havingagastight connectionmay be provided;Wherebyeasier-access to the adsorbent may be. had.

It is, of. course, within the scope of the inventionto locate theadsorbentin the cylinder itself otherwise thanandina different locationthan. as shown on the drawing.

The drawing does not show all the details of engines such as valveparts, means to seal the the spaces between the piston and the cylinder,for example, piston rings, and other well known parts, since while theymay be necessary or useful to engines having the present inventionapplied thereto, yet these details are Well known and do not form a partof the present invention.

The invention is, of course, also applicable to sleeve-valve typeengines and in fact to almost any type of engine wherein an adsorbableexpansion means is used or wherein adsorbable matter capable of beingconverted into an expansion means is used, no matter whether the drivenmeans he reciprocating, as a piston, or whether it have rotary or othermotion.

The relationship of valves, ignition means, piston, and cylinder may bedetermined by well known practice, and the adsorbent matter may stand inany relationship to any of the engine parts according to the broadaspect of the invention, as may the type of carrier for the adsorbentand the shape and size of the cavity for containing it shown on thedrawing. It is immaterial with respect to the broad aspects of theinvention how or when the highly adsorbent material is placed I Withinthe chamber or how it is held therein,

if at all. The various modifications show a cut in the chamber to holdthe adsorbent material, this being rather convenient but obviously nosuch chamber need be cut in since the adsorbent material may beotherwise placed or held in adsorbing relation in such chamber.

What I claim is:

1. An engine comprising a cylinder and a piston therewithin, asubstantially tight expansion chamber bet-ween them, and highlyadsorbent material in active adsorbing relation to said chamber.

2. An engine comprising a cylinder and a piston therewithin, asubstantially tight expansion chamber between them, and highly adsorbentmaterial within said chamber.

3. In an internal combustion engine, high- 2 1y adsorbent material inthe combustion chamber.

4. In an internal combustion engine, highly adsorbent material in activeadsorbing relation with the expansion chamber.

5. The method of operating an internal combustion engine, comprisingcharging the engine with an explosive mixture in the presence of highlyadsorbent material and exence of said material, and exploding saidmixture in the presence of said material.

7. The method of operating an internal combustion engine, comprisingdiminishing! the volume of the explosive mixture within the same in thepresence of highly adsorbent material and exploding such mixture thereinin the presence of said material.

8. An engine comprising relatively movable parts forming an expansionchamber and highly adsorbent material in active adsorbent relation tosaid chamber.

9. An engine comprising relatively movable parts forming an expansionchamber and, highly adsorbent material in said chamber.

10. A device comprising a hollow member and a member fitting and movabletherein, said members forming an expansion chamber and highly adsorbentmaterial within said chamber.

11. A device comprising a hollow member and a member fitting and movabletherein, said members forming an explosion chamber and highly adsorbentmaterial within said chamber.

12. The method of making less sudden the effect of an explosion, whichcomprises caus ing an explosion to occur in the presence of highlyadsorbent material.

13. The method of making less sudden the effect of expansion of anexpandable, adsorbable, gasiform agent, which comprises permittingexpansion of said agent to occur in the presence of highly adsorbentmaterial.

141-. A device comprising a hollow member and a member fitting andmovable therein, said members forming an expansion chamber and highlyadsorbent material in adsorbing relation to said chamber.

15. A device comprising a hollow member anda member fitting and movabletherein, said members forming an explosion chamber, and highly adsorbentmaterial in adsorbing relation to said chamber. i

16. The method of operating an expansion device, which comprisesdeveloping therein an expandant under pressure, a substantial part ofwhich isfree and a substantial part of which is adsorbed, and thenpermitting said expandant to expand.

HERBERT B. MOSES.

ploding said mixture in the presence of said material.

6. The method of operating in internal combustion engine, comprisingcharging the engine with an explosive mixture in the presence of highlyadsorbent material, diminishing the volume of said mixture in the pres-

